The summer sun had been heating the lands of Central Asia long before the Combine's appearance, but in recent days, the heat arises from another source. A series of armed riots in City 545 has spurred scattered resistance groups to unite towards the common goal of liberation from the aliens. However, only a special individual can resolve the contradictions among these would-be allies. A representative of the lambda resistance's secret agents, having travelled from afar, disembarks from a train at just the right moment...